New Content Dev Team Structure

2018·01·09by yclepticon

Lead Content Developer

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve taken on the role of Lead Content Developer for Star Sonata. This means that it’s my responsibility to manage the content development team and make content recommendations to Jeff based on the team’s work. In my five years on the dev team, I have found myself drawn to managerial roles since these happen to align with my real-life profession quite well. I see this new role as the best way for me to contribute my skills in management and organization to the betterment of Star Sonata.

I want to acknowledge that I have obtained a greater level of influence over the game with this promotion. In light of this change, I do not believe it would be appropriate for me to continue to lead an aggressive endgame team as this would simply invite too many conflicts of interest. At the same time, I feel I would be unable to make informed content recommendations if I quit the game entirely. The middle ground I have chosen is to lead my team (Traders) into a less competitive era, while still playing the game with my teammates and keeping an eye on endgame issues. I have also decided to permanently retire my player forum account, as I will no longer be participating in player disputes on the forum. The following is an excerpt from my new job description that makes this clear:

As a player of the game, the Lead Content Developer should avoid conflict or disputes that might reflect poorly on the dev team. He should also avoid involvement and the appearance of involvement in the affairs of the competitive endgame community, except as is essential to his duty of creating informed content recommendations.

My first project as Lead Content Developer is to reorganize the content development team in order to clarify the roles and responsibilities of our volunteers. I have summarized these below for your information.

Press Corps

Responsibilities

Attend weekly content meetings.

Provide a community perspective on dev discussions.

Report to the community on dev discussions and practices.

How to join

Simply contact Jeff or enkelin to introduce yourself and tell us why you are interested in volunteering for Star Sonata.

Contributors

Responsibilities

Address balance issues with item stats.

Create new items, bosses, and content zones.

Collaborate on larger projects as assigned by developers.

How to join

In most cases, Contributors start on the Press Corps to get familiar with the team and how we operate. Exceptions may be made if you have a special skill such as professional coding experience, graphics, or audio production.

Developers

Provide vision and direction on major game balance matters.

Manage major projects with the assistance of Contributors.

How to join

This rank is reserved for individuals with a long track record of successful development in Star Sonata. Furthermore, since Developers can have a large influence on the direction of the game, they are held to particularly high standards of professionalism and impartiality. As players of the game, they are expected to avoid conflicts or disputes with other players and to limit their involvement with the competitive endgame, except as is essential for crafting informed content recommendations.

About yclepticon

Hi, I'm Anil. I'm a long-time player turned developer–you may know me in-game as enkelin. I am Star Sonata's lead content developer, which means that I run weekly dev meetings and make sure that any proposed changes to the game receive proper review before going live. I also oversee the Star Sonata Press Corps, a group of players who sit in on dev meetings and help us connect with the community on key issues and concerns. If you are interested in joining the Press Corps, drop me a line!